Monocentris japonica, Pineconefish : aquarium

Monocentris japonica (Houttuyn, 1782)

Pineconefish
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Monocentris japonica   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Monocentris japonica (Pineconefish)
Monocentris japonica
Picture by Randall, J.E.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Trachichthyiformes (Roughies) > Monocentridae (Pinecone fishes)
Etymology: Monocentris: Greek, monos = one + Greek, kentron = sting (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 300 m (Ref. 127470). Tropical

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea, Reunion, Madagascar, and South Africa; north to Japan, Taiwan, China, New Caledonia (including Chesterfield Islands), south to Australia;

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 17.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3131); common length : 12.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5978)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 5 - 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 12; Anal soft rays: 9 - 11; Vertebrae: 25 - 26. The species is distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: lateral-line scales 13 - 17; scale rows below lateral line 11-14, modally 11-12; three scale rows below lateral line 8; total gill rakers 16-20; small scales between fourth scale row below lateral line and abdominal scutes, its posterior tip not reaching second postpelvic scute; no teeth on vomer; mouth large, reaching vertical through posterior margin of eye (Ref. 127470).
Cross section: oval.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found in the sublittoral zone (Ref. 11230), under ledges and caves of rocky reefs (Ref. 9710). Forms schools (Ref. 6620). Adults are found between 20 and 200 m depth, juveniles occasionally in shallower water (Ref. 9650). Regularly displayed in public aquaria.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Moore, Jon A. | Collaborators

Su, Y., H.-C. Lin and H.-C. Ho, 2022. A new cryptic species of the pineapple fish genus Monocentris (Family Monocentridae) from the western Pacific Ocean, with redescription of M. japonica (Houttuyn, 1782). Zootaxa 5189(1):180-203. (Ref. 127470)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 22 December 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | National databases | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |